O'Sullivan admits to financing McBride's case against IPID

FORENSIC fraud examiner Paul O’Sullivan contributed R200,000 towards the legal fees of now former Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) executive director Robert McBride in the case involving his suspension.

Despite this, O’Sullivan refuted allegations that he infiltrated and controlled the Ipid.

O’Sullivan had filed a criminal complaint against then acting national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane in February 2016. He said Ipid initially flatly refused to investigate the docket for 10 months when it was part of State Capture at the time.

That was until he met McBride in November 2016, after he was reinstated to his position when the court set aside his unlawful suspension. He said the R200 000 was never discussed with McBride.

“Over the next two to three months, we brought IPID up to speed with the investigations.”

O’Sullivan confirmed to the Ad Hoc Committee that he had visited Phahlane’s house and taken pictures earlier that year before he went with an IPID official, whom he showed the house and identified the contractor who was paid with money bags from the boot of the car.

He had offered the use of his car to Phahlane’s house because the IPID officials came in a single cab bakkie. O’Sullivan said an IPID official drove his car and showed their identification to the security at the gate of the estate.

He also told MPs that the last time he referred a complaint to IPID was when he laid a complaint against Phahlane in 2016.

“I had interactions with them until 2018.”

O’Sullivan dismissed the allegation that he targeted Phahlane in his investigation because he had wanted McBride to become the next national commissioner.

“That is a false narrative of both Phahlane and (Police Minister Senzo Mchunu’s chief of staff Cedrick) Nkabinde.”

O’Sullivan also clarified about the allegation that he hosted a braai at his house, which was previously owned by fugitive Radovan Krejcir, to hatch the plot to target Phahlane with IPID officials.

The allegation was made by Nkabinde, claiming that apart from IPID officials at the braai, there were people from the DA, AfriForum, and journalists.

According to the forensic fraud examiner, he had asked the owner of the house Krejcir used to live in whether they could hold the social gathering because there was a journalist who was to talk about the book she published on Krejcir.

He said Nkabinde, who made the allegation, had not been invited, but found his way there.

“There was nobody from AfriForum, and nobody there from the DA. All these things were fabricated,” he said.

He named the journalist Angelique Serrao, saying those present were given copies of the book.

“It was not my house. It was never Radovan Krejcir’s house. Radovan used to live there.”

Cape Times